Media converter

ABSTRACT

A media converter capable of converting digital data of a unidirectional interface to digital data of a bidirectional interface or converting vice versa and converting digital data in commercial use to digital data for consumers or converting vice versa so that consumers are able to obtain even high quality images is provided. The media converter has a function for inputting digital data of a unidirectional interface and converting the inputting digital data to digital data of a bidirectional interface, and a function for inputting digital data of a bidirectional interface and converting the inputting digital data to digital data of a unidirectional interface, wherein the unidirectional interface is an HD-SDI (High Definition Serial Data Interface) format digital interface, and the bidirectional interface is a digital interface conforming to IEEE1394.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present document is based on Japanese Priority DocumentJP2003-276735, filed in the Japanese Patent Office on July 18, 2003, theentire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a media converter, and particularlyrelates to a media converter capable of interchangeable data conversionbetween a bidirectional interface and a unidirectional interface, andcapable of interchangeable data conversion between consumer equipmentand commercial equipment.

2. Description of Related Art

In the related art, interfaces used for images and audio at broadcastingstations are typically of serial communication regardless of standardbroadcasting or high image-quality broadcasting. This serialcommunication is only unidirectional, not bidirectional as withtelephone lines. As a result, at least two communication lines arenecessary when data for images and audio is exchanged between commercialequipments. Further, HD-SDI (High-Definition Serial Digital Interfaces)is used as communication lines for commercial equipment within abroadcasting station in case of high image-quality broadcasts, which isso-called high-vision broadcasts. This interface is high-speed, forexample approximately 1.5 GHz, so electrical power required incommunication is high, and communication lines are quite expensive. Inaddition to this, commercial equipment for use in broadcast stations isincomparably larger than domestic equipment.

On the other hand, there are many kinds of image and audio interfacesused in typical domestic equipment, such as optical cables, componentcables, and composite cables etc. Among them, bidirectional interfacessuch as digital interfaces (Brand name; i.Link) and USBs etc. conformingto the IEEE1394 standard are recently used for connecting with personalcomputers built-in television tuners. Further, bidirectional interfacessuch as LAN cables and GigaEther etc. are widely used also in internetenvironments becoming broadly accustomed, including in case ofconventional telephone lines. As described above, while betweencommercial equipment and domestic equipment, differences exist in thelevels of images and audio handled respectively, from the point of viewof interfaces, an essential difference is that one is bidirectional andthe other is unidirectional communication. This is mainly caused bycommunication speeds within interfaces due to differences in level ofhandled image quality.

[Patent Document 1]

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 9-93552 (page 5, FIG.1).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the HD-SDI with respect to communication lines used incommercial equipment as described in the related art and digitalinterfaces conforming to the IEEE1394 standard and USBs etc forbidirectional interfaces used in domestic equipment, digital interfacesconforming to the IEEE1394 standard and USBs used in particular ininterfaces for domestic equipment are capable of exchanging data at 400MHz or more. However, when this is compared with HD-SDI used incommercial equipment of approximately 1.5 GHz, there is a difference intransmission speed in the order of approximately four times, and it isdifficult to have interchangeable conversion of data between commercialequipment and domestic equipment. There is therefore the task ofenabling interchangeable data conversion between commercial equipmentand domestic equipment of different transmission speeds.

In order to address the aforementioned task, the media converter of thepresent invention is given the configuration shown in the following.

(1) A media converter is equipped with a function for inputting digitaldata of a unidirectional interface and converting the digital data todigital data of a bidirectional interface, and a function for inputtingdigital data of a bidirectional interface and converting the digitaldata to digital data of a unidirectional interface.

(2) The media converter as disclosed in (1), wherein the unidirectionalinterface is an HD-SDI (High Definition Serial Data Interface) formatdigital interface, and the bidirectional interface is a digitalinterface conforming to IEEE1394.

In the present invention, it is possible to convert digital data of aunidirectional interface to digital data of a bidirectional interface orconvert digital data of a bidirectional interface to digital data of aunidirectional interface. This means that images and audio data used,for example, commercial equipment can bead opted by domestic equipment.The versatility of high quality images at broadcast station level andthe versatility of multi-channel audio used by broadcast stations cantherefore be increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an outlined block diagram showing a media converter of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a media converter of the same.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Next, a description is given of embodiments of a media converter of thepresent invention with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]

Firstly, a media converter of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1as an overall block view. In this embodiment, a digital interfaceconforming to the IEEE1394 standard is adopted as a bidirectionalinterface, and a HD-SDI is adopted as a unidirectional interface. Inaddition, bidirectional interfaces may correspond to USB or GigaEtherNetetc., and unidirectional interfaces may correspond to SD-SDI (StandardDefinition Serial Digital Interface) or HD-SDTI (High Definition SerialData Transport Interface) etc. handling compressed digital signals.

The types of data flowing through the bidirectional interface handled bythis embodiment are MPEG and DV. On the one hand, data flowing at theunidirectional interface is uncompressed HD digital data.

As is clear from FIG. 1, the media converter developed on this occasionis a converter for a data stream of a digital interface conforming tothe IEEE1394 standard and a HD-SDI data stream. A description ofconversion details gives the following.

(1) HD signals are received via the HD-SDI, and MPEG signals aretransmitted via the digital interface conforming to the IEEE1394standard.

(2) HD signals are received via the HD-SDI, and DV signals aretransmitted via the digital interface conforming to the IEEE1394standard.

(3) MPEG signals are received via the digital interface conforming tothe IEEE1394 standard, and HD signals are transmitted via the HD-SDI.

(4) DV signals are received via the digital interface conforming to theIEEE1394 standard, and HD signals are transmitted via the HD-SDI.

Next, a detailed block diagram of the media converter is shown in FIG.2. The names of the functions of each block in the drawing are describedin order.

The media converter is substantially configured by amultiplexer/demultiplexer (MUX/DEMUX) 12 connecting to a digitalinterface conforming to the IEEE1394 standard for domestic equipmentequipped with a bidirectional interface function, a CPU 13 forcontrolling the multiplexer/demultiplexer 12, a memory 14 for storinginformation from the digital interface conforming to the IEEE1394standard connected to the multiplexer/demultiplexer 12, a decoder 15 fordecoding data from the multiplexer/demultiplexer 12, a CPU 16 forcontrolling the decoder 15, a memory 17 for storing data at the decoder15, a baseband processor 18 for processing signals decoded by thedecoder 15, a CPU 19 for controlling the baseband processor 18, a memory20 for storing signals processed by the baseband processor 18, a speaker21 for outputting signals controlled by the baseband processor 18,headphones 22 for outputting signals controlled by the basebandprocessor 18, a monitor 23, controlled by the baseband processor 18, forperforming displaying, a panel 24 for controlling the baseband processor18, an encoder 25 for encoding data processed by the base band processor18 for transmission to the multiplexer/demultiplexer 12, a CPU 26 forcontrolling the encoder 25, a memory 27 for storing data processed bythe encoder 25, a rate converter 28, a CPU 29, a memory 30, aparallel/serial converter 31 for sending signals of the rate converter28 to the HD-SDI being as the commercial equipment, a CPU 32 forcontrolling the serial/parallel converter 31, a memory 33 for storingdata processed by the parallel/serial converter 31, a serial/parallelconverter 34 for receiving serial data via the HD-SDI of the commercialequipment, converting the serial data to parallel data, and sending theparallel data to the rate converter 28, a CPU 35 for controlling theserial/parallel converter 34, and a memory 36 for storing data processedby the serial/parallel converter 34.

The following is a description of the operation of the media converterconfigured as above.

First, HD signals transmitted via the HD-SDI are converted from serialdata to parallel data by the serial/parallel converter 34. The number ofbits of parallel data at this time depends on the system configuration.In the media converter 11 of the present invention, the number of thebits of parallel data is 8-bit, but the number of bits is by no meanslimited to this number, for example, it may be 10-bit, 16-bit, or20-bit. Further, the CPU 35 and memory 36 attached to the block of theserial/parallel converter 34 are installed at the media converter 11developed to convert serial digital data to parallel digital data but incases of causing an external clock to operate, they are by no meanslimited to being required. HD signals converted to parallel digital dataare down-converted by the rate converter 28. The down-convert frequencyin this function depends on the system configuration similar to the caseof the serial/parallel converter 34, and maybe any frequency as far aslower than the frequency of HD-SDI. The CPU 29 and the memory 30attached to this block are by no means limited to being necessary as inthe case of the serial/parallel converter 34.

Down-converted HD signals are then subjected to sound and imagequalification and editing, to signal conversion for display at the panel24 and monitor 23, and to signal conversion for outputting to theheadphones 22 and speaker 21. In brief, various signals processing thatcannot be performed in any signal format other than baseband is carriedout. Further, the CPU 19 and memory 20 attached to this block arenecessary in order to carry out various signal processing and whensignal processing is not carried out, they are by no means limited to benecessary.

The HD signals subjected to baseband signal processing are encoded intoMPEG and DV signals so as to befit a digital interface stream conformingto the IEEE1394 standard by the encoder 25, multiplexed by themultiplexer/demultiplexer 12, and transmitted via a digital interfaceconforming to the IEEE1394 standard. To reiterate, the CPU 26 and thememory 27 attached to this block are by no means limited to be necessaryas in the case of the serial/parallel converter 34.

Next, a description is given of converting MPEG signals and DV signalsvia the digital interface conforming to the IEEE1394 standard to HDsignals.

First, the decoded MPEG and DV signals are subjected to the sameprocessing as described above by the baseband processor 18 and areupconverted by the rate converter 28. The frequency of upconverting inthis function depends on the system configuration, so it may be anyfrequency as far as higher than the frequency of the baseband signalprocessing.

The up-converted MPEG and DV signals are converted from parallel digitaldata to serial digital data by the parallel/serial converter 31 andtransmitted via an SDI. The CPU 32 and the memory 33 attached to thisblock are by no means limited to be necessary as in the case of theserial/parallel converter 34.

In the above system configuration, interchangeable data conversion iscarried out between a bidirectional interface and a unidirectionalinterface. Further, controls of equipments connected to each interfaceare easily carried out by interchangeably converting at the basebandprocessor to own commands of each equipment.

To give a good example of usage, in a digital interface conforming tothe IEEE1394 standard, control commands can be sent at the same time inthe direction opposite to the direction of current stream of images andaudio but when this function is utilized, control of equipment connectedto the HD-SDI is possible while receiving images. Therefore with respectto equipment adopting HD-SDI that only possesses a unidirectionalinterface, operating time is reduced and operating efficiency isimproved. Digital interfaces conforming to the IEEE1394 standard arebidirectional interfaces, so controlling of connected equipment duringthe time of transmitting images is inevitably also possible. To give anexample, while monitoring, by a commercial monitor, images and sound ofequipment transmitted via the media converter 11, zooming in and out andincreasing and decreasing volume etc. can be carried out as necessary.

1. A media converter comprising: a function for inputting digital dataof a unidirectional interface and converting said digital data todigital data of a bidirectional interface, and a function for inputtingdigital data of a bidirectional interface and converting said digitaldata to digital data of a unidirectional interface.
 2. The mediaconverter according to claim 1, wherein said unidirectional interface isan HD-SDI (High Definition Serial Data Interface) format digitalinterface, and said bidirectional interface is a digital interfaceconforming to IEEE1394.
 3. A media converter comprising: a basebandprocessor for performing a predetermined baseband signal process withdown-converted digital data of a unidirectional interface or decodeddigital data of a bidirectional interface; and a rate converter fordown-converting digital data of said unidirectional interface orup-converting digital data of said bidirectional interface, on whichsaid predetermined baseband signal process is performed by said basebandprocessor; wherein said media converter converts inputted digital dataof said unidirectional interface to digital data of said bidirectionalinterface or inputted digital data of said bidirectional interface todigital data of said unidirectional interface.
 4. The media converteraccording to claim 3, further comprising: an encoder for encoding saiddigital data of said unidirectional interface on which said basebandsignal process is performed by said baseband processor so as to beadapted to a stream of said bidirectional digital interface; and amultiplexer for multiplexing said encoded data.
 5. The media converteraccording to claim 3, further comprising: a demultiplexor fordemultiplexing digital data of said bidirectional interface; and adecoder for decoding said demultiplexed digital data.
 6. The mediaconverter according to claim 3, further comprising: a serial/parallelconverter for converting digital data of said unidirectional interface,from serial digital data to parallel digital data; wherein said digitaldata converted to said parallel digital data is down-converted by saidrate converter.
 7. The media converter according to claim 3 or claim 5,further comprising: a parallel/serial converter for converting saiddigital data of said bidirectional interface up-converted by said rateconverter, from parallel digital data to serial digital data.